High Hopes and Happy Faces : Christmas: More than 7,000 eager but needy children lined up as early as 4 a.m. for toys and clothes at the O.C. Rescue Mission.

Youngsters lined up as early as 4 a.m. in hopes of getting a Nintendo game, a Barbie doll or even a sweater or a pair of pants. They left in smiles, sporting multicolored hats and carrying sweat shirts, blankets, toys, even turkeys.

More than 7,000 children Saturday received donated toys from the Orange County Rescue Mission, executive director Jim Palmer said. New socks, hats and other clothing were distributed by Covering Wings, a nonprofit Huntington Beach group that helps the poor and the homeless.

Lucia Soto, 34, said the donations are the only way that she and her husband can give their six children a happy Christmas. “The children are thinking of toys and nothing else,” said Soto, who lined up at 6 a.m. Saturday.

“We’re on welfare. It just pays for rent and food. It doesn’t stretch enough for toys,” she said. “My children have been talking about this for days. Without this they would have been very sad.”

The gift giveaway for Central Orange County’s poorer residents is 32 years old--the same age as the mission itself, Palmer said. And it is only one part of the program to help the needy. Today at 1 p.m., volunteers will serve a free hot lunch, followed by distribution of food boxes containing turkeys, potatoes, canned fruit and vegetables, and condensed milk.

Each year the need increases, Palmer said, and donations have managed to keep pace. This year, the mission gave out more than 11,000 toys--7,400 on Saturday and more than 3,000 that went to Santa Ana’s nearby Templo Calvario. That was more than double last year’s tally of 4,500 gifts.

Curiosity got the better of many youngsters Saturday. They tore into their presents as soon as they left the mission, leaving a trail of wrapping paper several blocks long.

“It’s mine, it’s mine!” squealed 5-year-old Sinai Martinez after opening an inflatable swim toy, her enthusiasm not dampened by the fact that she might have to wait until summer to use the gift.

Others, ignoring parents’ admonitions to keep their presents wrapped until Christmas day, unwrapped Cinderella mugs, toy cars and tiny pink purses.

“This is a beautiful thing. It really helps,” said Alicia Castaneda, who shepherded her four children past tables covered with gifts arranged by gender and age of the intended recipient.

Some of the young faces in the crowd belonged to volunteers. Zach Gibson, 11, of Huntington Beach stamped each little hand with red ink as the children filed through the gate, a way to make sure that no one went through the line twice and denied someone else a gift.

“My grandpa helps here,” he said. “This was just my chance to come down and help people who are less fortunate than I am.”

Martin Alfaro, 2, sat in a Food 4 Less shopping cart stuffed with gifts and clutched a little black sweat shirt. His mother, brothers and sisters, aunts and grandmother came to the mission together, bringing the cart to wheel their treasures to their Santa Ana home.

Other families came in groups from Garden Grove, Tustin and Anaheim.

Kids who spent hours in line before the mission opened its doors let their imaginations run wild.

“I want Sega Genesis with Aladdin and the Lion King,” said Jose Diaz, 11, who arrived with his mother at 4:30 a.m.

“I want a Super Nintendo,” said 12-year-old Elio Arteaga. “Last year I got a train with a lot of cars on it. But it’s old already.”

Such high-tech gifts, unfortunately, were not among those given away, said The Rescue Mission’s pastor, James Womack.

“People didn’t donate that,” he said. “I would like to get Sega Genesis myself. I hope my wife gets me one for Christmas.”